What's Good?

Ever wondered about how we got Santa Claus? Dr. Adam English discusses the history, mythology, and life that inspired the traditions of today. St. Nicholas Day is December 6th, and Nicholas is revered as a saint, not because of the mythology but rather that life that served the community through just causes and sharing the Gospel.

Order Dr. English's book, The Saint Who Would Be Santa Claus

Dr. Al Bryant, Dean of the Campbell University School of Education joins me to discuss rural education and ways that the church can support and encourage education efforts in the community. Al also offers to buy you a cup of coffee!

This conversation has lots of ups and downs but lands on hopefulness and how we discover life's great joys. Frank and I discuss how this book and his suggestions in it became a signpost for many of the challenges we faced in isolation during COVID, but particularly how it gave us time to reevaluate and realign our lives with our treasures.      

Hear more from Frank by connecting in the following ways:

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Book clubs may contact Frank at [email protected], and Frank will be glad to participate with your club as time permits.

More about Frank:
Frank Schaeffer is a New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen books. Frank is a survivor of both polio and an evangelical/fundamentalist childhood, an acclaimed writer who overcame severe dyslexia, a home-schooled and self-taught documentary movie director, a feature film director of four low-budget Hollywood features Frank has described as “pretty terrible.” He is also an acclaimed author of fiction and nonfiction and an artist with a loyal following of international collectors who own many of his paintings. | Frank has been a frequent guest on the Rachel Maddow Show on NBC, has appeared on Oprah, been interviewed by Terri Gross on NPR’s Fresh Air, and appeared on the Today Show, BBC News, and many other media outlets. 

This conversation is all about seeing what is around you from a perspective of abundance rather than scarcity.  Dr. Nelson gives practical tips and examples on how we do just that. He also does a nice job of raising the ire of North Carolina ACC basketball fans.

Download the free ebook, Community Capitals and the Rural Church.

"Small groups of people in the same place over a long time almost always underestimate the change they can influence." -Tim Soerens

In our conversation, we talk about seeing what is good in the world, challenges facing clergy, congregations, and theological education.   It might seem like a sprawling range of topics weighted towards the challenges facing church and community, yet I think you'll find a remarkable thread of hope for how people can create, improve and grow community by remaining faithful to a groundedness in both the Gospel and their neighbors. 

To learn more from and about Tim: 
Tim Soerens is the co-founding director of the Parish Collective, a growing network and global movement of Christians reimagining what it means to be the Church in, with, and for the neighborhood. 

His latest book is called “Everywhere You Look: Discovering the Church, Right Where You Are”.  His co-authored first book “The New Parish: How Neighborhood Churches Transform Mission, Discipleship, and Community (Intervarsity Press, 2014) won multiple awards, including Christianity Today’s award of merit. 

The second of our two talks with church historians about the response of the church to pandemics in the past. Dr. Hoyle is a professor at the Campbell University Divinity School. We discuss Luther, worms with magical powers and not being a prisoner of the moment.  

Dr. J. Bradley Creed, president of Campbell University brings his experiences from a career in higher education and his passion for church history to discuss what the church’s next most faithful steps should be in the midst of pandemic life. We discuss Augustine, the Ghost Map, and God's agency in the world. If the long arc of history provides us with wisdom and perspectives, Dr. Creed brings three vignettes that encourage, inspire, and give us hope for the days we are living in.

While our seminaries and divinity schools focus on academic achievement, many clergy struggle with skills that are not part of any curriculum. Roy Oswald, emeritus Executive Director of the Center for Emotional Intelligence and Human Relation Skills, joins Brian to discuss why Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is critical for longevity in ministry. A few of the questions discussed:

• What is EQ?
• Why does EQ matter for ministers?
• What happens when the minister of the congregation lack EQ?